Road To Food Sovereignty! Poorest Region BARMM Shows Prospects In Food Production

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which for ages had been identified as the poorest region in the country, now looms as a major food production area for the whole country.

In fact, it could even supply Halal Agricultural Commodities to nearby Islamic Countries, like Halal Beef, Vegetables and Rice.

On Thursday, I joined my former colleagues in the Mindanao Development Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform, the Provincial Government of Maguindanao and the municipal officials of Pagalungan during the culmination ceremonies of the first-ever Vegetable Derby in the BARMM.

In the short time that I spent in Barangay Layog, site of the derby, I realized the great potentials of the Maguindanao Valley surrounding the 250,000-hectare Liguasan and Libungan-Torreta Marsh in vegetable production.

Ang kailangan na lang ay post-harvest facilities tulad ng Cold Storage at Refrigerated Trucks para ma-deliver ang mga gulay sa mga lugar na kailangan ito.

The good thing is that the current leadership of the BARMM, composed of former rebels led by Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim and young Bangsamoro intellectuals are pro-active in implementing development projects.

Soon, the BARMM, a former battleground where hundreds of lives were lost in a half-century protracted strife, will rise as a major food production area.

This is now becoming a reality because of the forging of a peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, undoubtedly the greatest legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte for the people of Mindanao.

#WithPeaceComesDevelopment!

#BangsamoroRegionShining!

(Photos were taken by the media team of the Biyaheng Senado ni Manny Piñol.)